Since everything revolves around social media these days, I could do worse than begin this review with a Facebook post, made by Patsy Probert of Oxhey Village on Tuesday night.

‘Well done to all involved in Pump House The Happiest Days of Your Life. Hilarious. So great to have a good giggle. Highly recommended!’

Those few words sum up what was a thoroughly entertaining evening at the Pump House Theatre.

The play, written by John Dighton, is set just after the end of the World War Two and is a rip-roaring farce about what happens when an all-boys school is to be billeted with an all-girls school. Chaos ensues when the unsuspecting parents arrive and both the head master and mistress try to hide the new co-ed status from the doting mums and dads.

Director Alan Cox has choreographed his Pump House players well and with his wealth of experience has managed to reinvent a somewhat dated script with real style. This was evidenced by the announcement prior to the performance, asking the audience to “turn off those things that have not been invented yet”, so that we could “all have a spiffing time”.

I saw no weak performances at all in this production. Some of the set gags in Act One didn’t quite come off, but these things improve with performance and by the middle of the Act Two, the cast were cruising and the audience were enjoying every moment.

Hilary Rhodes’ performance as Miss Whitchurch was exceptional and it was also enhanced by the reactions and timing of her excellent supporting cast.

George Wakely’s debut performance as Hopcroft Minior was very amusing, as was his counterpart Rosie Seddon.

Abbe Waghorn wins my ‘best stage exit with attitude award,’ twice! Her husband Mark, in real life and on stage, played the outraged father to a tee.

Mark Dawson as Billings was masterful and he and Felicity Cox, ‘call me sausage’, Gossage, play very well together.

Another entertaining evening at the Pump House. So my thanks to resident theatre company and in the words of Patsy Probert do go along and ‘have a good giggle’.

Paul Henley Washford